“Now he belongs to the ages”

Today is the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of these United States on one, if not “the”, greatest Presidents we have ever had. Since most people are familiar with the bullet points of Lincoln’s life, presidency and death – I thought I’d share some lesser known stories about the President.

Abraham Lincoln by George Henry Story

Religion

Lincoln was never associated with any organized church and, as a young man, was an outspoken nonbeliever. When this came up in his 1846 congressional campaign he explained his unorthodox position with this statement:“That I am not a member of any Christian Church, is true; but I have never denied the truth of the Scriptures; and I have never spoken with intentional disrespect of religion in general or of any denomination of Christians in particular.“This is the only public statement Lincoln made on the subject.

Dueling AbeIn 1842 Lincoln’s fiancé, Mary Todd, wrote a satirical letter in a local paper about the Democratic state auditor James Shields. Mr. Shields was so insulted he challenged the author of the letter to a duel.The chivalrous Mr. Lincoln willingly took on the responsibility and given the choice of weapons he chose the broadswords. This cunning move served the tall Lincoln well, his 6’4” frame wielding a broadsword was no match to the much smaller Shields who wisely decided to make up the differences and the duel was never fought.

PatentAbraham Lincoln was (as far as I know still is) the only President to obtain a patent. He invented a complicated device for lifting ships. However U.S. Patent No. 6,469 was never implemented.

Women’s RightsIn 1836, 12 years before the 1st woman’s rights convention, State legislator Lincoln gave a statement endorsing women’s suffrage to an Illinois paper.

Reversed HonestyIn Lincoln’s 1860 campaign a document boasted that Lincoln spent his spare time reading Plutarch. Abe immediately sat down to read the Lives for the 1st time and hence validating the claim.

The Bixby LetterIn a well known story, President Lincoln wrote his condolences to the widow Bixby who lost five sons in the Civil War. Many historians attribute the letter to Lincon’s secretary at the time, John Hay, but the letter itself does not exist today, if it ever existed. Mrs. Bixby lost two sons in combat, one deserted, one dishonorably discharged and one was unaccounted for.

“Now he belongs to the ages” was part of the unrecorded (later slightly edited) prayer said by Reverend Phineas D. Gurley after the President’s death.

References:The People's Almanacby David Wallechinsky & Irving Wallace

Abraham Lincoln: The Complete Book of Facts, Quizzes, and Trivia by Gordon Leidner

A. Lincoln: His Last 24 Hours by Emerson Reck

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham LincolnBy Doris Kearns Goodwin